Ukadiche Modak /उकडीचे मोदक/ Steamed sweet Rice flour dumplings

https://youtu.be/a8k7Y_TP0LU

 

Growing up in Maharashtra I have always indulged in different varieties of Maharastrian delicacies. And obviously one of them is Ukadiche Modak or rice flour dumplings with sweet coconut filling in it. These are usually made during the holly festival of Ganapati. It is presented to Ganapati Bappa as his Prasad. It is said that he loves Modak the most.  During the Ganesh worship ceremony, known in India as Ganesha Chaturthi the puja always concludes with an offering of twenty-one modaks to the deity and as prasad. 

This particular variety of modak is steamed and eaten with Tup or Desi Ghee which makes it healthier.

I could go on and on talking about this awesome sweet, instead you may find more details about it here.

Let’s make these Modaks for our Ganapati Bappa.

Ingredients:

You will be able to make around 14-16 modaks with this measurement. 

1. Khovalela Naral/ Grated coconut: 2 Cups (fresh or frozen) 
2. Gul/ Jaggery: 1-1½ Cup (depends on jaggery’s sweetness and your family’s taste buds) 
3. Tandul Pithi/ Rice Flour: 2 Cups (very very smooth) 
4. Pani/ Water: 2-2½ Cups 
5. Ghee/ Clarified butter: 1 Tbsp. / 2 Tbsp. 
6. Mith/ Salt: A pinch 
7. Velachi Pud/ Cardamom Powder: 1Tsp.

Method:

For Filling:

1. Take one coconut. 
2. Grate the coconut and use 2 Cups from it.
3. Alternatively take 2 cups of frozen grated coconut in a microwave safe bowl. (Thaw the coconut before measuring it.) 
4. Add 1 Cup of jaggery to the coconut. Stir it. 
5. Put it in microwave for 30 Sec. 
6. Take it out, give it a good mix and put it back in microwave for about 2min. 
7. Take it out after a minute, add cardamom powder and stir it. At this point you may add chopped nuts of your choice to this mixture. 
8. Take it out with the help of oven mitten. Usually at this time the stuffing is ready. If you feel the jaggery is not melted completely then just put it back just for 10-12 sec. If you keep it longer then the stuffing will be hard. (I have done that and had to rescue it. I have added the tips to rescue the filling at the end) 

For Outer Cover:

1. Take 2 cups of water in a pan and put it on the stove on medium-high heat.
2. Once you see the water bubbles, add a pinch of salt and a tbsp. of ghee in it. 
3. Measure the rice flour properly in a bowl. The rice flour has be very soft and smooth on touch. If it is little thick then please sieve it. 
4. Once the water is boiling put the heat to low and put entire bowl of flour in the water. 
5. Start stirring it immediately and vigorously with the help of a nice firm spatula. 
6. Please make sure it’s not lumpy anymore. 
7. Put a tight lead. 
8. The steam trapped inside the pan will do the magic now. Take is off the gas after 2 minutes. 
9. Switch off the gas. 

Modak Making:

1. Take out the warm dough on a plain surface. 
2. Start kneading the dough once it is bearable to hands. But it should not be cold otherwise we will not be able to shape them. 
3. Put a little oil or ghee on your palms and start kneading. 
4. Cover the dough with warm damp cloth.  
5. Make medium sized ball and start making modaks. 
6. Take the rice flour ball and roll a small puri of it (about 2-3inches). 
7. Take the coconut filling and put 1 Tbsp of it in the middle of this puri. 
8. Take this puri in one hand and start pinching it with another hand. It will look like a bulb of a lotus flower. 
9. Now start taking all the pinched petals together and stick them together making a peak out of it. 
10. It will look like a small onion. 
11. I have a Modak mold bought from Tulashi Baug, Pune so I used mold to make these modaks (grease the mold before filling it with little ghee). It is very special for me since it has been gifted to me by a dear friend. 
12. Take a rice cooker (with steamer) or idali steamer to steam these modaks or dumplings. 
13. I have a rice cooker-steamer in which I put one damp handkerchief and put 7 modaks at a time on the steam mode for about 7-8 minutes. If you are using idali cooker or pressure cooker for steaming the modak, then please keep it for 12-14min or as per instructions on your cooker. 

    

    Another form of mold

    
    
14. Once done, take them out and pour desi ghee on it and relish them as a nice, healthy sweet.

    

    गणपती बाप्पा मोरया !!!

Tip:

1. If for any reason your filling or सारण becomes hard, put it in a pan and add little ghee to it. keep stirring till it is soft again. It may change it's color to little brownish but that is completely alright. 
2. The rice flour should be really smooth. If it's too coarse then the outer cover will break while molding the modaks. 
3. Do not let the dough cool down for the same above mentioned reason. 

Please try this super easy recipe of Ukadiche Modak and please your Bappa (We call Lord Ganesha- Bappa). If you like this recipe, give a thumps up and please share it with others. Happy Cooking!!!!

Please leave your comments and suggestions about this recipe. We welcome your feedback.

बोला गणपती बाप्पा मोरया, मंगल मूर्ती मोरया !!!!!!!

Other recipe you can try during the festival:
Paan Ladoo
Paan Shots
Narali Bhat  

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Homemade Desi Ghee with Unsalted Butter

When I first came to the US few years back I had brought the homemade desi ghee with me. Obviously it didn’t last for a long time and I ended up buying ghee from Indian grocery store. Did I like the taste? Yes and no, since didn’t have any other option. One day a friend of mine told me about the magic of unsalted butter which transforms it into our own desi ghee or tup (in Marathi language) or clarified butter. I was so excited to try it. We always have unsalted butter in the house so tried it and voila yes it was our own desi ghee. Couldn’t stop thanking her enough. She made my life easier and tastier. Here you go with step by step description of this most easy recipe.

Ingredients:

1. Unsalted Butter: 4 Sticks (1Lb) 
2. Tulasi leaves- 3-4 (optional) 
3. Cardamom/ choti ilaychi: 2 (optional) 
4. Water: 1-2 Tsp

Method:

1. Take a heavy and thick bottom pan.
2. Put all the sticks of butter (room temperature) to the pan.
   
   
   
3. Switch on the gas on the medium to low setting. 
4. In less than 2min the butter will melt. Now put the gas on the lowest possible setting. 
   
5. Keep stirring in between and after it starts to leave its foam add tulasi leaves and crushed cardamom powder to the ghee. Adding these ingredients is completely optional. But it surely leaves a nice aroma to the ghee.
   
6. Once the foam starts clearing off and you can see the bottom of the pan, sprinkle a tea-spoon of water in the ghee. If it bubbles and makes cracked kind of sound, your ghee is ready. If not let it simmer for couple of minutes more and repeat the water test.
   
   
   
   
7. Once the ghee is ready, you may want to let it cool down a little bit before you transfer to a glass jar/ bottle.
   
8. Your glass jar/ bottle has to be extremely dry and clean. If you feel it’s damp, microwave the empty bottle for a minute or so. Or alternatively you may want to keep it in a preheated oven just for a minute or so. 
9. If you wish you may filter this ghee and then transfer. I do not like to filter it since we like the flavor of tulasi leaves to remain in the ghee for a longer time.
10. Pour the ghee in the glass bottle but do not put lid immediately. Otherwise the lid will have moisture and it may spoil the ghee. 
    
11. Take out some ghee for regular use and refrigerate the rest. If you have made a big batch then put it in two different bottles and freeze one of the bottle for the future use. This will be good for more than 2 months. 
12. Do not put damp or wet spoon in the ghee otherwise it will be spoiled in no time.
    

Note:

1. Recently found out that you can make this ghee in microwave too. Just keep room temp. butter sticks in a big microwave safe bowl and microwave it on full power for about 12-14 min, stirring it occasionally. Once it changes the color, take it out. Obviously every microwave is different so keep a close eye on it. 
2. Also got to know about pressure cooker method. Keep the sticks in a pan and keep it in the pressure cooker on the lowest possible setting. Since it will be on the lowest setting, it won’t whistle. However as soon as it starts leaving bubbles switch the gas off and your butter will be ready. 
3. Some people also make it with salted butter but I have never tried that one.

Found all these recipes useful and easy. If you like this recipe, give a thumps up and please share it with others. Happy Cooking!!!! 

Please leave your comments and suggestions about this recipe. We welcome your feedback.

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Sabudana (Sago) Khichadi in Microwave/ साबुदाणा खिचडी/ Sabudana Khichadi Recipes: Traditional way, in Microwave and in Instant Pot/ Tapioca Khichadi

Sabudana (Sago) Khichadi/ साबुदाणा खिचडी

YouTube Link 

As a kid I never used to like the concept of “fasting”. However, loved all the fasting food items. And out of all the yummy fasting food items, Sabudana Khichadi was my most favorite dish. Mouthwatering for sure. Now we don’t fast at all but love to make sabudana Khichadi as a breakfast item. Here is the simplest recipe of this yummilicious recipe of most popular Maharashtrian fasting food item, Sabudana Khichadi.

Ingredients:

Sabudana/ sago: 1 Cups
Danyache kut/ Roasted peanut powder: ½ Cup
Batata/ Potato: 1 (sliced)
Hiravi Mirchi/ Green chilies: 4-5 (Finely chopped and as per your taste buds)
Jeera/ Cumin seeds: 11/2 Tsp.
Sajuk tup/ Ghee/ Clarified butter: 2-3 Tbsp.
Limbu ras/ Lemon juice: 2-3 Tbsp.
Kothimbir/ Cilantro: ¼ Cup (Finely chopped)
Salt: To taste
Sugar: To taste

Procedure:

1.    Take sabudana and wash it under running water. Soak it with very little water (about 1 cup) for about 6-7 hours. Cover it with a lid. Soaking depends on the quality of your sabudana. There are times when you may need to soak it overnight with some water in it to get that beautiful puffed sabudana for this khichadi.

2.    Take a non-stick kadhai or wok. Put ghee in it.

3.    Take the potato slices in a microwave safe bowl, add ½ cup water to it. Microwave it for 2 min on high. However this step is totally optional. If you like your potatoes crisp in the khichadi, just omit this step.

4.    Once the ghee is hot. Temper it with jeera, green chilies.

5.    Add the potatoes now. Stir it well and put a lid for a minute.

6.    Once the potatoes are done, add sabudana and stir it well.

7.    Add roasted peanut powder to this sabudana mixture.

8.    Put salt, sugar and lemon juice to the sabudana mixture. Stir it well and keep the lid on till the sabudana is cooked properly.

Alternatively: Microwave recipe (Refer video)

I sometimes use this microwave method when I’m in a hurry or don’t want to stand in front of the gas to keep an eye on the sabudana. 

Follow 1 to 5 steps as it is and take a large microwave safe bowl and transfer the sabudana, roasted peanut powder, salt, sugar to it. Mix it well. Put little ghee in it and put this bowl in microwave. Put lid very loosely to this microwave safe bowl. The air shouldn’t get trapped otherwise it will burst while the microwave is on. The air should escape from one side of this bowl. Turn on the microwave on high for 3 minutes. Stir in between. Take it out carefully and add lemon juice and little cilantro to the mixture. Stir it well. Put it back in the microwave for one more minute. Check, if the sabudana is well puffed. If yes then your khichadi is ready or else put it back in the microwave for another minute or so. Stir it well and add finely chopped cilantro to the khichadi. . I have always noticed that the sabudana is well puffed if I make it in the microwave after tempering.

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9.    Serve it hot with sweet lemon pickle (Maharashtrian goad lonche) or yogurt or peanut chutney.

Don’t forget to enjoy this yummy & authentic Maharashtrian meal item. Happy Cooking!!!! 

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